Rationing and Allocation of Resources

News about Rationing and Allocation of Resources, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 31, 2015

California officials say water use in state fell by more than 27 percent in June, beating 25 percent statewide cutback ordered by Gov Jerry Brown. MORE

Jul. 15, 2015

Severe drought in Puerto Rico along with water rationing mandated by government has made many residents experts at collecting water and conserving its use, often in surprisingly imaginative ways. MORE

Jul. 11, 2015

Judge Shelleyanne Chang of Sacramento Superior Court rules that California cannot fine farmers who fail to respond to water curtailment notices but that it can investigate them for illegally diverting water from rivers and streams, act that can carry hefty fines. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

California officials say majority of farmers and others holding some of state's strongest claims to water have missed deadline to confirm they stopped pumping from rivers and streams during drought; those ignoring orders face punishment of $1,000 a day and $2,500 per acre-foot. MORE

Jun. 22, 2015

White House Memo; Pres Obama faces criticism for weekend golf trip to Rancho Mirage, Calif, while state suffers extreme drought; area, which is home to 122 golf courses, uses over twice as much water as state average and has been ordered to cut usage by 36 percent. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Colorado remains one of last places in United States where collecting rainwater remains largely illegal due to complicated system of water rights rules; system strikes many as illogical in era of severe drought, but difficulty in repealing rules speaks to power of entrenched system based on seniority and century-old claims to stream flows. MORE

Jun. 15, 2015

Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of California's Water Resources Control Board, has become center of public attention since Gov Jerry Brown ordered sharp reduction in water use statewide; maintains upbeat attitude and has managed to keep peace between opposing interests during severe drought. MORE

Jun. 13, 2015

California restricts water usage for over 100 farmers and agricultural agencies possessing water rights dating as far back as 1903; state expects to impose further cuts as drought continues. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

California State Water Resources Control Board issues report finding that residents cut water use in April 2015 by 13.5 percent compared to year-earlier period, encouraging first sign supporting state's mandatory water cutbacks to address drought; state officials welcome finding, but reduction is far short of 25 percent cutback ordered by Gov Jerry Brown. MORE

May. 24, 2015

Many amusement parks, golf courses, ski resorts and other tourist attractions in California are finding innovative ways to conserve water during state's latest drought. MORE

May. 17, 2015

Gray Matter column by Erez Yoeli, Syon Bhanot, Gordon Kraft-Todd and David Rand contends higher prices will not convince Californians to reduce their water consumption, but instead suggests publicly visible programs that allow them to be good neighbors and citizens; recommends state-run website allowing homeowners to publicly pledge to reduce water use, and receive lawn signs publicly proclaiming their good citizenship. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Editorial commends California for its new rules to cut back urban water use by 25 percent but cautions steps must to taken to better monitor use of its agricultural water; points out system that tracks amounts reported by rights holders is antiquated and unreliable; holds it is imperative that state know exactly who is using how much. MORE

May. 6, 2015

California's Water Resources Control Board unanimously approves further significant restrictions on water use for residents, governments and businesses as four-year drought continues. MORE

Apr. 29, 2015

California Gov Jerry Brown proposes $10,000 fines for residents and businesses wasting water as part of state's conservation mandates, brought on by drought. MORE

Apr. 27, 2015

Severe and prolonged drought in California has played out along state's stark economic divide, with wealthy communities consuming far more water per capita than poorer areas where residents are forced to conserve due to economic necessity; impending statewide water consumption cut of 25 percent ordered by Gov Jerry Brown will turn dynamic on its head, targeting high-income, high-usage areas; remains unclear whether policy will affect behavior of wealthy, and whether it is constitutionally sound (Series: The Parched West). MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Many California homeowners are responding to severe drought and mandatory water restrictions by replacing their lawns with artificial turf; while some feel they are doing their part to save water, environmentalists say artificial grass harms soil beneath it and is not easily recycled. MORE

Apr. 19, 2015

California regulators make second attempt to draft water reduction rules that are specific to communities, part of effort to cut urban potable water use by 25 percent across state; first round resulted in 250 complaints filed against regulatory board. MORE

Apr. 15, 2015

Metropolitan Water District, which supplies imported water to 19 million people in Southern California, votes to cut deliveries by 15 percent in effort to encourage communities to use less water in midst of historic drought. MORE

Apr. 12, 2015

Coachella music festival in Indio, Calif, has made few adjustments to its water use policy in face of statewide drought, as Gov Jerry Brown's order to reduce water use by 25 percent was issued after festival plans were already in place; festival features fountains, pools and expanses of green lawn. MORE

Apr. 9, 2015

California cities brace for mandatory water cutbacks due to severe drought and Gov Jerry Brown's mandate to cut statewide water use by 25 percent; communities are divided into tiers based on current per capita water use and must reduce usage by between 10 and 35 percent compared to 2013; failure to meet goals could eventually result in fines for cities. MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

California's State Water Resources Control Board issues plan to meet mandatory 25 percent reduction in statewide water use, with some communities required to reduce their water intake by as much as 35 percent while others face cutbacks of just 10 percent; cuts point to fact that many communities, particularly in Southern California, have failed to voluntarily curtail use at time of severe drought. MORE

Apr. 5, 2015

California Gov Jerry Brown's order to address drought by cutting water consumption by 25 percent shows how state's aspiration of unimpeded growth has run up against limits of nature; Brown's mandate suggests he and other state leaders believe drought is indicative of permanent change in climate, and that permanent changes are necessary to make state viable (Series: The Parched West). MORE

Apr. 5, 2015

Apr. 5, 2015

Editorial challenges California's agriculture industry to become part of solution to state's devastating drought despite fact it has not been given mandatory water use reductions that are being imposed on residents; urges California's farmers, who use 80 percent of state's water supplies, to offer the kind of innovation and efficiency that can contribute substantially to alleviating impact of drought. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

California Gov Jerry Brown issues executive order imposing mandatory reduction of water use by 25 percent after state's four-year drought hits near-crisis proportions; mandate, first in state's history, affects California's 400 water supply agencies over coming year; large farm owners who get their water supply from other than local agencies will not fall under guidelines. MORE

Feb. 17, 2015

Residents of Sao Paulo, Brazil, face unprecedented water crisis as city's reservoir system nears depletion due to drought; will likely have to submit to water rationing, and could even be asked to flee city due to shortage; crisis has been worsened by pollution, deforestation, population growth and lack of political will, despite fact that Brazil is one of world's most water-rich nations. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Basic goods and services are in short supply in Venezuela, as country lacks currency due to plunging price of oil, its biggest export; government troops patrol long lines of people waiting for supplies, and stand ready to arrest those shoppers cheating rationing system; Venezuela was in deep recession even before oil prices collapsed (Series: By the Barrel). MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Sao Paulo, Brazil, may institute stringent water use policy as last-ditch effort to prevent collapse of Cantareira reservoir water system; reservoir has been reduced to 5.1 percent of its 264 billion capacity due to drought. MORE

Oct. 8, 2014

California officials report the largest monthly decline in water use in 2014, with consumption falling 11.5 percent in August compared with the year before. MORE

Jul. 16, 2014

California officials approve most drastic measures yet to reduce water consumption during state’s increasingly serious drought, including fines of up to $500 per day under some circumstances for watering a garden, washing a car or hosing down a sidewalk. MORE

Nov. 9, 2012

New York Mayor Michael R Bloomberg, with long lines persisting at gas pumps, says odd-even rationing rule will go into effect at 6 am Nov 9; Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island announce similar system. MORE

Nov. 4, 2012

Residents of New York and New Jersey struggling to find gas in wake of Hurricane Sandy encounter epic lines, frustration, disappointment and confusion, despite best efforts of government to alleviate shortage; New Jersey Gov Chris Christie orders odd- and even-day gas rationing and New York Gov Andrew M Cuomo waves tax for fuel barges, but little seems to have worked. MORE

Jan. 3, 2012

Margin of survival for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo is so slim that the the word 'delestage,' French term used for rolling power blackouts, is used to describe the availability of food as well as electricity; most people in Kinshasa, including children, eat only every other day, and the International Food Policy Research Institute reports that half of the country is considered undernourished. MORE

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